


Sympathies of a Wife

by cinewhore



Series: Sympathies of a Wife [1]
Category: Ex Machina (2015)
Genre: Artificial Intelligence, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Inspired by Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn, Investigations, Marriage, Miscarriage, Missing Persons, Murder, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:20:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28506600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinewhore/pseuds/cinewhore
Summary: “Nathan Bateman is the CEO of one of the top technology companies in the world. You two are living the American Dream, starting from the ground up. When you go missing on your 6th wedding anniversary, Nathan becomes the prime suspect in your disappearance. Secrets unravel and the truth about who you are and the man you married spill out.”
Relationships: Nathan Bateman & You, Nathan Bateman/You
Series: Sympathies of a Wife [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088147
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. What a Wonderful Life

**Author's Note:**

> she’s here. I am a bit proud of this fic and all it can become, I hope you all enjoy!

I murdered my husband.

Well, that’s not _technically_ true, but I did watch him die. And I didn’t try to intervene.

That’s the worst kind of death, don’t you think? Knowing that someone needs help, hearing them call out to you and yet, you just… _watch._

My husband murdered me a long time ago. Everyone watched and did nothing.

Karma’s a bitch.

Before you decide to think of me as some monster, you didn’t know my husband. We married at a decent age, he was a few years older than me. It wasn’t love at first sight, although you can say he was something to marvel at. Tall, lean, wickedly smart… a true essence that only the pied piper possessed. You met at MIT and followed him after graduation. At that time you were both bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, eagerly awaiting all of the good things you were promised in school.

Nothing ever works out the way that you wanted it to. It’s like they say, the best plan is not having a plan at all.

In the midst of the rejected proposals, last dollars being spent on shitty pizza, and the occasional eviction notice, you hit the jackpot.

Well, Nathan did but it was your idea too.

BlueBook was born and suddenly you were looking at so many zeros in your bank account it made you dizzy. After dancing around each other, Nathan proposed and shocked you. You were always in love with him but he never struck you as the settling down type. His first love was his work and you couldn’t compete with that.

All the moments you spent with him made it worthwhile. He treated you to fancy dinners, taking a jet at a moment’s notice to Italy because you were craving pasta, purchasing condos in every city you thought was pretty.

You wanted to return the favor and spoil Nathan as he had done you but he always declined. Out of the things he bought you, he spent equal amounts of money on all of his software. Some would label it an addiction, but it’s only an addiction if you can’t afford it.

When Nathan mentioned that he bought a private sector of land in Alaska you thought he bumped his head. You thought he would say Singapore, or maybe even Germany. But fucking _Alaska_?

You agreed to go with him though because that was your wifely duties and you could use a change of scenery.

You loved Nathan and would pursue him anywhere. ‘Til death do us part.

….

“What do you think?” Nathan studies your movements as you survey the house, compound, with a mixture of disbelief and wonder.

“It’s… _big_.”

“You wanted big.” Nathan points out, using your own words against you. What you actually told him is that you wanted space, you _needed_ space. He needed room for his labs and various experiments and you needed room for your workspace as well, perhaps children. What you didn’t expect was to become the rightful owner of a fortress.

“It’s a good thing we don’t have neighbors, with all the damn windows.” you chuckle, closing your eyes slightly to allow the warmth pooling in through the ceiling to floor-length glass windows to wash over your face. “We could scream or fuck each other’s brains out and nobody would hear.”

Nathan hums, circling you like a piranha before closing in to wrap his arms around you. “You want to test that theory out?” he places tiny kisses along your neck and jaw, sucking on the flesh lightly.

“You’re such an exhibitionist,” you say, moving your feet in time with Nathan’s as he guides you towards one of the windows. He presses you against it, hands gliding up to slide the straps of your dress down your shoulders to expose your chest. Your nipples feel hard against the cold material, your breath fogging up space in front of you.

“You like it,” Nathan murmurs, hands leaving your body to make quick work of his belt and zipper. You spread your feet apart wider to accompany him, groaning at the penetration. Then he was everywhere. Groping you, fondling with your breasts, kissing and licking down your neck, muttering obscenities in your ear. He was in control, he was always in control. You did what you knew how to, you took it as best you could.

….

It was a Sunday evening when it happened. Nathan was off working away in his lab and you were busy fixing dinner. You didn’t mind, you enjoyed cooking and it was a distraction from your growing belly. You were ecstatic to discover that you were pregnant and even more when it was announced that you were having a girl. Nathan was…less enthused but you didn’t think anything of it, that’s just how he was. You ran yourself ragged with getting the nursery ready, Nathan stopping by to help when he wasn’t tinkering with the AI bots.

You decided on a minted green and white for the nursery colors, gushing over color palettes and textiles. The pregnancy kicked up your appetite and soon you found yourself trudging to the kitchen, stopping by Nathan’s lab to see if he wanted a snack or drink.

When you stepped into the doorway is when you felt it, a sharp intense pain that had you clawing the door frame for support.

“Baby?” Nathan looked over the top of his glasses at you, watching your slumped over form with curiosity.

You stared at the droplets of blood as if it were a foreign substance that you’ve never seen before, so defined and crisp in color. You lift your head to meet your husband’s haunting stare, gripping your stomach.

The doctor was quiet in her assurances that you did everything right, that this wasn’t your fault and happens all the time. Nathan’s thumb rubbed small patterns on the back of your hand as he held it, absorbing all of the information Dr. Perry was feeding him. You tuned her out after she began to apologize, not wanting to hear the statistics or practiced grievances.

You never touched anything in the nursery again. You cursed the delivery person who dropped off the baby mobile you ordered. You wondered what you could have done differently. Nathan sat by idly, letting you exhaust yourself each and every day.

“We don’t need a baby.” Nathan murmurs, his voice distorted by your hair. It was another restless night for you and Nathan passed the time getting drunk. He liked to lay his face in the junction of your neck, breathing in all of you.

You don’t say anything, the wound still fresh even after a year.

“I got you and you got me. Besides, I can make anything. I can make life and take it away. All you have to do is ask.”

He slips his hands down over your hip, squeezing it a little as he dips it lower. You catch it and move it away, ignoring the way his body tenses up against yours. Nathan sighs and flips over on his side facing away from you, drifting off to sleep.

….

You put the final touches on your makeup before taking a step back to observe your work. You were all dolled up, a sight to see as you prepared for the big night ahead of you. You were designing a new AI system that would be the interface for space travel for decades to come and some investors wanted to take the time to know more about the progress you were making and if it had any potential to make them want to shell billions of dollars to your research.

Truth be told half of these bastards didn’t understand basic chemistry and you knew damn well they wouldn’t understand any of what you were saying. You pull at the neckline for your dress, moving it a bit lower so your cleavage could poke out a little.

Nathan was entertaining guests in the foyer, showcasing his newest AI’s, Ava and Kyoko, to everyone. Ava offers you a drink as you enter the room and you thank her, slowly sipping on it as you glance around. The investors seemed to be impressed with everything so far, making casual conversation about the house and the robots with Nathan. He put on a great facade, smiling at the right times, and keeping up with the social cues. You knew he hated it, wearing the suit and schmoozing with assholes who couldn’t even explain what the quantum theory is.

He knew this was important to you, so he was going to put in a tiny bit of effort just to say he did.

“Ah, there she is! The woman of the hour.” Simon exclaims, clapping you on the shoulder. You kiss him on the cheek to greet him and turn your attention to the others in the circle to greet them as well.

“We were just telling this fine husband of yours how wonderful your house is! We had such a lovely ride over.” Simon boasts, nodding at the others who chimed in with agreements of their own.

“I’m happy we were able to accommodate you all! Harper, I see you’ve conquered your fear of flying,” you remark, raising your glass at the timid looking woman. She smiles quickly as she downs her flute of champagne, signaling for Ava to bring her another.

“So, of course, we enjoy all the chit chat but I want to get to the nitty-gritty. Tell us about this project.”

You launch into your spiel about the work you’ve been doing like you practiced, taking the time to add in improvisations here and there to make it look authentic. You guide the group back into your workspace, showcasing your designs and software for the program. Simon looks impressed, nodding his head frantically at everything you were saying.

You circle back to the foyer where you started, effectively ending your pitch. The investors squabble among themselves, surely muttering about budgets and figures.

You use this time to leave them be, seeking out Nathan to share your anxieties about the future of your work. You passed his lab on the way to yours and the lights were off so you decided to check the library instead. Nothing.

Frowning, you tread back to the foyer, moving as quickly as your dress would allow you to. It was a small motion that garnered your attention and while you would normally not be bothered by it, something told you to look and you’ve never wanted to fight your intuition as badly as you wanted to at that moment.

Nathan’s belt buckle caught the light and reflected against the glass windows, alerting you of his presence. He made rushed thrusts into Kyoko, panting inaudibly. You narrow your eyes and swallow the bile that threatens to crawl back up your throat as you watch your husband seize up, emptying himself within her. Nathan pulls out, tucking himself neatly in his pants as Kyoko keeps her hands on his shoulders. It was the next action that unraveled you, left the earth quaking below the very ground you stood on.

Nathan swipes a finger along the entrance of Kyoko, gathering his cum and pulling her skirt down. He lifts his fingers to her mouth and she opens in anticipation, letting him swirl his lone digit on her tongue as he mouths the words, “magnificent, isn’t it?”

You recite the words along with him, recalling the very first time he made love to you and made you come so hard you blacked out momentarily. He was very amused and thrilled at his skills, helping to bury your embarrassed admittance of never getting to orgasm with the help of a lover’s hand.

You scurry away as he turns to head back into the house, making haste to accompany Simon and the others.

They were still so enamored by the house that they initially didn’t notice you until you clear your throat.

“I’m hoping that everything was to your liking?” you ask, gauging each facial expression.

“Ah, yes! It is absolutely wonderful my dear, and we’ve got some good news.”

Here it was. Your moment to make world fucking history.

“After a rather hefty discussion, we’ve come to the great decision to fund your project! Talking with Nathan just further drove home our point that you both are quite a pair of geniuses. You have our full support.”

You try to contain the smile that was bursting forth and it only amplified tenfold when you felt Nathan’s arm wrap around your waist.

“Nathan, my boy, we’re so thrilled to speak more about this AI scheme you two have got cooking. I predict that in ten years' time, everyone in the middle class will be sporting their robot-like the latest cellphone trend. Mark my words!” Simon gaffs, holding down his belly as he chuckles.

You laugh through your confusion, turning slightly to catch Nathan’s eye.

He winks.

“I’m sorry, must be the drinks creeping back up, but you said AI’s? That’s what you were here to fund?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Harper nods. What?

“But Simon, we specifically talked about my interface.”

“We did! However, in speaking with Nathan, we thought it’d be best to throw our money at this project first. The chances of another space operation like the challenger or whatnot heading back into space are very small. With this AI idea, we could be looking at a quick turnover of years, not centuries.”

Everyone looks at you expectantly, waiting for the rest of the lights to turn on.

“Oh, yes, yes! Makes perfect sense, must’ve gotten lost in translation somewhere.” You feign innocence and laugh along with the rest of the conversation until Rick arrives to fly them back to the mainland.

You and Ava make quick work of cleaning up the rooms the guests frequented, calling it a night around one in the morning.

Nathan strips out of his casual wear into something more comfortable, wasting no time to get back to work. Time slows down as you make eye contact with him in the hallway passing by to get to the bedroom. Your world is muddled, clouded by this man to who you swore the rest of your life. His gaze was unrelenting, mocking, unperturbed. He mocked you, openly, time and time again.

He smirks gingerly and breaks the trance and everything warps back up to normal speed. It was a look that said _I see you_.

And for once, you saw Nathan Bateman for who he really was.

….

You’re not exactly sure when the switch happened, or when the gears tinkering in your brain started to twist and turn beyond your control. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde had no comparison in how your personality changed. You became hollow, jaded, self-centered, and angry. Just who the _fuck_ did Nathan think he was? This was your fault, surely, it had to be. You egged him on, pushed aside your own research in order to help him get BlueBook off the ground. The same software you thought you were building to help push technology towards a better future was also being used to monitor millions of its users each day. The same AI’s you helped program were the same ones being used as Nathans fuck toys. The same house you wanted to bring new life into turned into your personal hell.

There was only one way to solve your problem.

Self destruct.

Nathan awoke at the crack ass of dawn as he normally does. You don’t engage him as he pokes his half limp dick into your ass, soon enough he gets agitated that you won’t acknowledge him so he stalks off into the bathroom to shower. You lay still, counting your breaths to the sounds of the water running, trying to quell the darkness that stirs inside of you.

No matter how many times you replay last night in your head, you couldn’t ignore the fact that this was intentional. Nathan knew what he was doing and he did it right in front of you. You knew you were being tested, he was taunting you to see if you’d react the way that he wanted to. And maybe you would have back when you were younger and had more emotion. You couldn’t indulge him just yet. If he wanted to play a game then you would.

Once Nathan finishes his shower and leaves for his lab, you prepare to get your day started. You stop by the kitchen on the way to your office to make yourself a cup of tea, eyes drifting beyond the glass windows into the vast unknowns of the trees that surrounded your house. You wonder what it’s like out there.

Sitting calmly at your desk, you grab your calendar and sticky notes. If you were going to do this, you had to do it right. There was only one shot and you couldn’t afford to miss. This wasn’t something that could happen overnight, _no_ , this needed to take months, years even. You were going to make Nathan pay for everything, once and for all.

Pulling the cap off of your pen with your teeth, you spit it out and grab a single sticky note off of the pile. Self-destruction was fairly simple, a three-step guide if you will.

Step number one: you needed to be the good wife. You need to play up the part, kiss his boo-boos, boost his ego, be the punching bag. You needed to show the world how happy and in love you were with him. You need to be the American Dream couple that others fawned over. You needed them to love you and you needed to get Nathan to love you, too.

Step number two: burn down the house that you built. Not literally. This is the time where you and Nathan fight. You ask him why he doesn’t love you any more if he’s seeing other people, what you need to do in order to fix your marriage. It’s all shit, there’s absolutely nothing he could say or do to fix what he broke. When the darkness comes to light, you need to show the world that you tried.

Step number three: push the goddamn button.

You lean back in your chair, tapping the pen along your chin. Was this crazy? Yes. Were you going to do it? Without a doubt. Dealing with someone like Nathan meant you needed to take extra measures to ensure he could feel what you wanted him to. How else would you deal with someone who calls himself God?

By becoming the devil.


	2. Be the Good Wife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> super nervous to post this but the more I read this, the more I like it. Reader is up to some no good shit and so is Nathan. hope y’all are enjoying the series so far!

_Manic Monday_ by The Bangles blares through the speakers as you swing your hips in time with the tune, studying the ingredients in the mixer. You press down on the power button and watch as all the contents swirl and mix together, producing a rich green color.

Today was new, _perfect_. The cleansing feeling of a new week was upon you and you wanted to take full advantage.

So, step one was in full effect.

You woke earlier than Nathan, prepping his protein shake for the day and taking care of other little chores. You needed to stay one step ahead of him at all times, even if it meant waking up before the ass crack of dawn.

The volume of the music goes down, signifying Nathan’s presence. You were pouring the drink from the blender to his shake cup, dipping a lone finger in the middle to get a taste. You turn to face him, pulling the finger out of your mouth with a slow _pop_.

“Hello, handsome.” you smile, handing him the cup as he approaches you.

He takes the cup without question, downing half of the concoction before speaking. “What’s all this?”

“I was up and figured I would make my husband his protein shake so he doesn’t have to. And,” you wave the dipped finger in the air, grabbing your iPad from the counter. “I got your stats organized from the tests you’ve been running. I sent them to the HQ, they’ll send us a prototype by the end of the week.”

Nathan continues to stare at you as he takes the tablet from your hand, his face unchanging while glancing at the data.

“These are good,” he says finally, tossing the iPad back onto the counter. You beam, clapping your hands together.

“Excellent. Why don’t you go ahead and get to work and I’ll clean up here.” you move in to kiss Nathan, running your tongue across his lips to lick up the remainder of the shake.

….

Your sticky notes were running low. You stand back to take a look at your whiteboard, now covered in an array of different colored papers stuck to it, each of them critical to your future.

You needed discipline, concentration, and execution.

A sudden thought occurred to you, wouldn’t it be easier to just kill yourself? That wouldn’t take half as much planning and you could get all of your legal documents sorted out within a month's tops.

That’s what he would want though, for you to take the easy way. Play the _oh my wife is dead_ card and sales are through the roof. Bastard would get off on it, you were sure.

Let him have all the fun? No way. He has made you suffer enough and now you were going to make it his problem.

You sit back at your desk, propping your feet up as you crack open the journal. You began writing detailing how this morning went and what the plans for the rest of your day were. You update your Pinterest board, declutter some documents, and search recipes to cook for dinner. This would show others that you were committed to this bit. That you were more than a tech genius, that you were a tech genius who also loved DIY projects and lavender candles.

Your phone suddenly rings. A picture of you and your mother together on your wedding day lights up the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hi, honey! How are you?” you huff, silently cursing your mom for ruining your train of thought.

“I’m fine mom, how are you?” you say absentmindedly, continuously drawing a circle around _kill yourself?_

“I’m alright, just haven’t heard from you much, since you know, the baby..” you drop the pen, switching your phone from one hand to the other.

“Mom, I really don’t want to talk about that-”

“You should! It’s not good to let that fester, sweetheart. I found some great resources to help, Nathan and I were talking-”

Nathan and your mother _were_ talking. Without your knowledge.

“Talking about what, exactly?” your clipped tone translates across the phone line quite clearly and your mom stops talking to select her next words carefully.

“He wants me to come to visit. Said that you could use some company, spend some time together since it’s been so long. Plus, I could use a change of scenery.”

You exhale audibly, frustrated at the audacity.

“You know what mom? That would be excellent. It’ll be good to catch up.”

Your mother laughs and sighs, the heaviness of the moment gone. “Great! I’ll send you more details later.”

“Sounds great.”

The line goes silent again, tedious enough.

“Baby?”

“Yes, mom?”

“Are you alright?”

Your eyes circle around your master plan laid out in front of you. You produce a smile, more for yourself than your mother.

“Peachy.”

….

You found Nathan in his conference room, engrossed in a conversation with Ava. You watch from the monitors from his lab, fully engaged in scientist mode. You notice the small ticks Nathan made when he talked to her, the dominance radiating off of him. Ava was getting smarter by the day and was truly the best AI Nathan had created. She would more than likely serve as the poster child for the project so you were sure he was just testing her harder each day, to make sure she would be able to pass each trail thrown at her as we grew closer to displaying her to the public.

However, you couldn’t help but feel like there was something else being left unsaid. Not with Nathan, but with Ava. You made a mental note to talk with her later, probe around and see what you could find out.

They finish their session and Ava wanders off, Nathan comes to greet you.

“How is she doing?”

Nathan sighs, taking his glasses off to rub at his face. “Still some kinks that need to be worked out, nothing out of the ordinary.”

You nod, moving to stand in front of Nathan. You rub your hands over his shoulders, softly kneading at the tension.

“You’re wound up, baby. You should take a break tomorrow.”

“I can’t, we’ve got a deadline to meet.”

“Can’t meet any deadline if you’re dead.” you tease, smirking at him. Nathan’s eyes crinkle around the edges as he backs you into his desk. “Also, why didn’t you tell me that you were flying my mom out here?”

Nathan pulls at your shorts, the thin material giving way to his touch. He gives a small hum when he notices that you decided to forgo underwear today.

“I wanted to surprise you. Figured you could use some company.” Nathan kisses at your jaw, fingers digging into the flesh of your thighs.

“Look at you, being the ever so thoughtful husband.” you giggle as his beard scratches that spot on your neck, your grip on his biceps becoming tighter.

“Just want to reward you, baby,”

You roll your eyes mentally. That’s how this whole thing works with Nathan, your relationship was as a point system. You do something good, he gives you points for it and if you do something he doesn’t like, he makes sure you never forget it. He didn’t do things in terms of love or because as your husband that’s what he made a vow to do, he only did it if served him any purpose. You were quickly realizing that your purpose was coming to an end.

But you couldn’t think about that right now, _no_ , right now you were going to take your reward like the good girl you were raised and taught to be.

Nathan slips a finger into your wetness, moaning at the feeling. He makes quick work of his shirt, hands coming down to shift his sweatpants where his cock was poking out.

“Bend over,” he instructs, but you defy him.

“No.”

“ _No?_ ”

You shake your head, settling yourself on top of his desk, pushing papers and various items out of the way. Spreading your legs, you lean back on your elbows as you watch Nathan’s chest practically cave in. You realize it’s been a while since you let him touch you, the only source of pleasure he was getting was either from his hand or the metallic shell that was Kyoko. He probably forgot what a real warm cunt felt like. Today, you would indulge him.

“I want to see your face while you’re in it.” you beckon him with a crooked finger, watching with hooded eyes as he slips out of his sweatpants and thrusts himself into you without a second thought.

The impact hurts, you squeeze your eyes shut and hiss through the pain. He’s a bit thicker than you remembered and it was going to take a few moments for you to adjust to him. You knew he wouldn’t give you that option, his methods of rewards often came hard and fast.

However, Nathan decides he wants to switch things up. He gauges your face as he works himself, cock pulsing as he stills, waiting.

It’s when you drag his face to yours so that you could kiss him is when he began to move a little faster.

“Fuck, you’re tight.” he moans through clenched teeth, which makes your walls grip him even more.

“I’ve missed you.” you sigh, wrapping your arms around his neck as he leans forward to press his face in the side of your neck, driving himself at a more angled pace.

“I know and I’m sorry.” the confession catches you off guard, your eyes flying open as he continues on.

“Wanna give you every fucking thing,” he licks and kisses at your neck, moving upward to look you in your eyes. “You want another baby, _shit_ , I’ll give you one. Or two. However many you want.” he grunts as you wrap your legs around his waist, the pressure akin to that of a boa constrictor.

Nathan takes note of how hard your walls clench around him at the talk of having more kids. He was hitting your weak spot and you needed to do something about it, quickly.

You clamp Nathan’s face in one hand, puckering his lips. “Tell me how _good_ I feel,” you whisper, out of breath.

Nathan refuses at first, too lost in the depths of you. You try again.

“I said tell me how fucking good I feel.”

“Fuckin’ perfect. You feel perfect.” he picks up his pace, surely on the lines of filling you with everything he’s got.

“Good boy. Always such a good boy for me.”

You laugh, drunk off of your sheer power and ability to control this man with a subtle flex of your pelvic walls. Nathan sets his face back in your neck as he nears his end and you coach him through it, eyes dead set on Kyoko who peeks in from outside the glass door.

You feel a spark in you, one that settles deep into your core as you hold her gaze, orgasm crashing through you. You felt silly, to be honest. Here you were, fucking your husband while his walking fleshlight views from afar, and all you feel is power. Crazy, toe-curling, out of this goddamn world, _power_.

You craved more.

….

Dinner was an event.

You and Nathan rarely ever ate together, always engrossed in your work. Or if you did, you never spoke more than three words to each other. What were you going to say to him? I know that you’re sleeping with one of your AI’s? I know that you purposely sabotaged my project to fund yours? I know that this marriage was more of a convenience to you?

Tonight, you were going to try. So you had some groceries delivered, a Peking duck, mashed potatoes, green beans with pound cake for dessert. Some real Betty Crocker, fifties housewife shit with the apron to complete the fit.

Nathan grins as you serve him, putting an extra switch in your hips as you walk past him to take your seat.

Soft samba fills the room and you close your eyes. Letting the music and wine embrace you, you raise your glass at Nathan and dig in.

The duck was fucking spectacular.

Nathan surveys you with curious eyes as you moan with each chew, giving him a comical face as you point your fork to the tender meat.

“Ok, what are you up to?”

You raise a hand to your chest in a dramatic fashion. “Me? I’m just a simple woman who got touched by her husband for the first time in months today, got ahead on work, and cooked a fabulous dinner. What’s your excuse?”

“You can cut the bullshit. I know _you_. There’s something tinkering in that mind of yours.”

“Nathan, I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

Nathan’s fist connects with the table loudly, causing you to flinch a little. “Stop it.”

You press your tongue in your cheek, setting down your utensils. You place your hands against your stomach, leaning back in your chair.

When you first moved into the house, you loved everything about the floor to ceiling windows. But now they served as a stark reminder of the types of beasts that were being contained in this box. You turn your attention to the night, looking on at the stars you could see.

“You know, when I was a kid, my mom would read me these stories. About the _Baba Yaga_. She was this witch who lived in the forest, much like the ones right outside these walls, and would prey on little children who dared to enter her territory. My mom would tell me these things as a way to get me to behave because, despite popular belief, I was an unruly child.” you take a second to laugh at the fond memories of you and your mother.

“And it wasn’t until I grew much older that I realized I was never truly scared of her. I believed that if I could become something much more sinister, much nastier, then I would reign supreme. Fuck courage and bravery, you don’t need it. What you need is fear. Get people to be afraid of you and you own them for the rest of their life, even after you’re long dead and gone.”

You shift your eyes back on Nathan who was unreadable like he always was. Sometimes you wondered if somehow Nathan was your own AI you constructed during an unmemorable time period. He was so unreal to you.

“Even the Baba Yaga fears someone,” you finish off the rest of your wine, the tiniest bit dripping from the side of your mouth. You trace your finger up the trail and suck on it. “Don’t you think?”


End file.
